1) Field of the Invention
The field of this invention is security and safety systems for combining a plurality of wearable transceiver devices with cell phones or land-line based phones to establish contact with central monitoring systems.
2) Description of the Related Art
According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, the first 60 minutes of care after a multiple trauma injury are crucial. Trauma experts often refer to this crucial life or death time period as the “Golden Hour.” Experts in the field have determined that during the Golden Hour the likelihood of death increases 1 percent for every minute lost before emergency care arrives.
Falls are one of the most serious health risks among seniors over the age of 65, affecting more people than stroke and heart attacks combined. More than half of all falls by seniors take place in the home. 50% of people who fall require assistance from someone else to get up. Getting help quickly after a fall reduces risk of hospitalization by 26% and death by over 80%. After a fall or other emergency, 90% of people who get help within one hour will continue independent living, but after 12 hours without help only 10% of people will continue to live at home. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Senior citizens age 70 and over have the greatest risk of fire death. The fire death risk among seniors is more than double the average population.
Senior citizens are also subject to Alzheimer's disease. One feature of this condition is the patient may wander from home and get lost. Another feature is that the patient may not be able to give his or her name and address to strangers so that they may be of assistance.
Older adults want to use technology to age safely in their homes, but 80 percent of people 65-plus are not willing to pay more than $50 a month for the technology, a new AARP study says. The report found that people 65-plus want to try technology like home security services, sensors to detect falls, and devices to regulate temperature, lights and appliances, but are worried about installation and maintenance costs and technical issues.
“Almost nine in ten older Americans want to be able to stay in their own homes and they are willing to use technology that can help them do that,” says Eleanor Ginzler, AARP Sr. Vice President for Livable Communities.
Many of the features and devices used in the present invention are available in the prior art. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,224, granted to Kostusiak et al May 19, 1992, describes a personal security system wherein a portable transmitter sends an emergency signal to several transceivers. One of the transceivers produces an alarm signal and sends the alarm signal to a central station.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,370, granted to Kearns et al Apr. 19, 1994, describes a personal security system having a portable transmitter operable by the user, which transmitter can be operated in an emergency. Activation of the transmitter causes a base unit to operate a telephone line and dial 9-1-1. The telephone line also opens a two-way speaker system to allow voice-to-voice contact between the user and the emergency response monitor. The transmitter contains an emergency activation button to initiate the call and a cancel switch to end the calling process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,742,233, granted to Huffman et al Apr. 21, 1998, describes a personal security and tracking system in which a remote alarm switch may be carried by a user. When the user activates the switch a portable signaling unit carried by the user sends a transmission which includes geographical location to a central dispatch station.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,257, granted to Boling et al Mar. 28, 2000, describes a cellular phone containing a large button which, when pressed, establishes voice-to-voice contact with an emergency response center. The cellular phone also carries a GPS system so that the emergency response center becomes aware of the phone's location.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,639, granted to Pierce et al Dec. 26, 2000, describes a personal emergency response system comprising a sensor to be worn by the user. When the sensor is activated, distress information is transmitted from the sensor to a central monitoring station via a receiver, an auto-dialer, and a telephone line and voice-to-voice communication between the user and the station is established.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,169,484, granted to Schuchman et al Jan. 2, 2001, describes a personal location system wherein users carry RF transponders provided with digital electronic identification numbers and emergency switches. There is a service center which monitors the location of the users who should remain within prescribed local areas.
US Published Application No. 2003/00227547 filed by Wade on Jul. 16, 2001 describes an emergency communication system in which the user carries a wireless transceiver which, when activated, signals a base unit which in turn connects the user to a central monitoring station.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,231,200, granted to Jenkins Jun. 12, 2007, describes a personal emergency communication system wherein a user-carried portable communications unit has a single button which, when depressed by the user, wirelessly sends a call request signal to a base unit. The base unit places a telephone call to an emergency response center and puts an emergency operator in voice-to-voice communication with the user.
Each of the above disclosures is incorporated herein by reference.